A Spring Cruise and Summer Arrives in Pahrump

Welcome Back.  Our last chapter concluded on Saturday, June 3^rd, at home in Pahrump, Nevada.  Sunday was a stay-at-home day.  We went to the afternoon root beer floats get-together at 2:00, but just stayed and talked to friends afterwards since there were not enough people to play Left-Right-Center.  A lot of the park have bailed out for the summer, so the group gatherings are getting smaller by the day.

Monday, June 5^th, this would have been the 18^th anniversary of when we sold our house in Indio and bought our motorhome.  It is also the 58^th anniversary of the day I graduated from high school in Phoenix, Arizona.  Wow, time flies.  We went out about noon for lunch at Rubacaba’s Mexican Food.  After lunch we did some shopping before heading back to the park.  We did happy hour at 4:00 then came home and did some burgers on the grill for dinner.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.  Tuesday was a stay-at-home day.  Did a few chores around the house, but mostly just relaxed.  We did happy hour with the group at 4:00, then came home and had ribs for dinner.  We spent the rest of the night watching TV.

Wednesday, June 7^th, Jackie went to play Pokeno at 1:00 and my friend Len came over about the same time and we jammed with our guitars until about 2:30.  After Len left, I did some chores.  We went to happy hour at the clubhouse at 4:00, then came home, had dinner and spent the night with the TV.  Thursday, my brother Dennis’ birthday.  Today was a stay-at-home day.  Got a couple little things done, mostly just relaxed.  The usual happy hour at 4:00, then home for dinner and TV watching until bedtime.

Friday, June 9^th, today was kind of a chore’s day.  We went out about 10:30 and both got haircuts, more trims really, getting ready for the cruise next week.  We ran some errands, picked up my suit at the cleaners, again for the cruise, got a couple of things at Walmart, had lunch at Arby’s, then went home.  We did happy hour and after happy hour we picked up our friends Lee and Kim and drove to nearby Tower Pizza for dinner.  We had gone to Tower Pizza, which is only a couple miles from the park, once several years ago, and we were not impressed and never went back.  However, Lee and Kim said they have improved and that on the weekends, Friday and Saturday, they have seafood specials.  We decided to give it a try.  Color me now impressed.  I had a seafood platter that was scallops, clam strips and shrimp, that had to be the largest I have ever been served.  Jackie had a grilled cod dish that was also huge.  We both took home huge leftovers.  Kim had the fish and chips, and the piece of fish was monstrous.  Lee was the only one that actually had Italian food, an eggplant parm that looked pretty good too.  After dinner we dropped them off and headed home to lie in our chairs and moan about our overly full tummies.  Spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Saturday, June 10^th, we went out for a late lunch about 1:00 to Terribles Roadhouse restaurant.  After lunch we went home and relaxed for a while.  About 5:00 we left again, this time dressed in our nice clothes, and drove to the Saddle West Casino downtown to go to the Ms. Senior Golden Years pageant in the ballroom.  This is an annual event in Pahrump that has been going on for 20 years now.  There were seven contestants and they had competitions for talent, bathing suits (old style 20-30s) and evening gowns.  They also had a lot of local talent performing songs and other entertainment.  The pageant went about two hours, although we had gotten there two hours early to get a good seat.  After the pageant we went home and watched a little TV before going to bed.  Sunday was a stay-at-home day.  We went to the clubhouse at 2:00 for ice cream, then came home and relaxed the rest of the day.

Monday, June 12^th, Jackie left about 10:30 to go to a ladies lunch at the Artesian Cellars restaurant.  I stayed home and did some packing and chores.  After Jackie got home, we went to happy hour and then watched TV until bedtime.  I did do my first tour of security duty at 8:00.  Tuesday, we went out about noon to lunch at Dennys.  We then went to the nail salon where I got my nails trimmed and Jackie got a full mani and pedi.  While she was doing that I went out and ran a few errands.  After we got home, we went to happy hour, then Jackie went to a ladies only happy hour at 6:00 at our friend Nancy’s house.  I did my second tour of security duty and we spent most of the night with the TV.

Wednesday, June 14^th, we had a 10:00 meeting in the clubhouse, an informal, “coffee with the Board” gathering.  I went over about 9:00 to setup the zoom equipment so those out of the park could participate as well.  The meeting went pretty good, mostly civil with lots of discussion.  After lunch Jackie went to play Pokeno in the clubhouse while I went out and ran some errands.  I had to pick up laundry for the cruise as well as Jackie’s wedding rings, which she had left at the jewelers yesterday to have to two rings soldered together.  After I got home I did a few chores.  We did happy hour with the group, then came home and had dinner.  I did my last security shift for the month tonight.  Thursday was a stay at home day.  We spent the day getting ready to leave for our cruise tomorrow.  We did some last minute laundry and packing and got the house ready to leave for a week.  We did do happy hour with the group, then came home, had dinner and spent the night with the TV.

Friday, June 16^th, my oldest daughter Tye’s birthday.  Happy Birthday.  Today was a travel day.  We left Pahrump with the house closed up and our bags in the backseat, headed for Los Angeles.  It’s a little under 300 miles to LA from Pahrump, and should take about 5 hours, not counting breaks.  We were doing great for the first half of the trip, stopping at the In and Out Burger in Barstow for lunch.  After that it was a drag.  It took literally an hour to get down the Cajon Hill on I-15 from Hesperia to San Bernardino.  The traffic was blocked in and going 12 miles per hour for 20 miles or more.  Once we got into the LA basin the traffic was moderate, typical work day freeway traffic.  We finally got into the Crown Plaza hotel in San Pedro at 5:00.  We got checked into our room, brought in our bags, and got the car parked in the garage where it will stay for the seven days we are away.  We had a drink and a light dinner in the hotel bar, then went up to the room, watched a little TV and went to bed.  Tomorrow is the big day, onto the ship about noon or so and off for a week of cruising.

Saturday, June 17^th, we were up, had some coffee and then went down to the dining room for breakfast.  After breakfast we brought the luggage down to the lobby and checked out of the room by 11:00.  Our shuttle picked us up at 12:30 and took us down to the port to meet our ship, the Emerald Princess of the Princess Cruise line.  This will be our first cruise on a Princess ship.  We arrived at the pier at 12:30, dropped our luggage off with the porters and went through check-in.  Unlike our experience with our Norwegian Line cruise in February, this check-in took only a few minutes.  We were on the ship in less than 30 minutes.  We were able to go directly to our stateroom and drop our carry on stuff, then we went and checked into our emergency muster station.  The new safety procedures don’t require the old style “everyone report to your muster station with your life vests on” procedure.  Now you have to watch a video on your TV or phone, then just report to you assigned station and check-in.  That way they know that you know where your muster station is.  By the time we got back to the room our luggage had arrived, so we spent an hour or so unpacking.  After unpacking we went out and explored the three indoor public decks, 5, 6 and 7.  These are where all the bars, lounges, dining rooms, shops, the casino, and the theater are located.  We had our first cocktail of the cruise and watched some of the entertainment.  About 6:30 or so we went to the dining room for dinner.  Unfortunately for the blog, I don’t remember all of the meals we had, but the food was typically pretty good, with modest portions, but, as always, you could always get more, or even change you mind if you didn’t like something.  The ship sailed around 5:00, so by the time we were done with dinner we were able to go to the casino.  We didn’t have a lot of luck, but we did manage to figure out the odd way that you had to put money in the slot machines. 

Princess provides every passenger with a small, RFID chip enhanced ID medallion.  This medallion is you key to everything on the cruise.  It is your room key, your ID for getting on and off the ship, your “credit card” for buying everything on the ship from goods in the shops to drinks to specialty meals.  The other thing is that the ship is lined on every public deck with sensors, so the computers on the ship know exactly where you are to within five feet anytime you are on the ship.  There are even sensors in the bathrooms of the cabins.  When you are going to your cabin as you approach your stateroom door the sensor “sees” you and unlocks you door for you.  To play the slot machine you have to put your medallion up to the machine so it knows it’s you, then you can put in money.  When you cash out of a machine the money goes in your “bank” which is also a part of the chip program.  The whole program is very convenient and scary at the same time.  After some time in the casino we went to karaoke.  I had been told in an email from the cruise that they were doing a kind of “American Idol meets The Voice” on the ship, where they had karaoke sessions the first two nights, after which selected singers would be involved in a contest that went the rest of the cruise, culminating in a finals night on the last night of the cruise.  Turns out that program was not being done on this cruise.  I sang a couple of songs from their limited selection, then we went out, had a night cap in one of the bars, and went to bed.

Sunday, June 18^th, Happy Fathers Day.  Today was a day at sea as we sailed north along the California coast heading for San Francisco.  Because we had booked this cruise at the last minute, less than a month before sailing, we had to settle for an inside cabin.  The good thing was that because there were no windows, we could sleep as long as we wanted, and we did.  We got up around 9:00, ordered coffee from room service and relaxed before getting ready for the day.  We went to lunch in the buffet, which was very nice, although much, much smaller than the one on the Norwegian ship.    After lunch we spent the afternoon in different parts of the ship, a little time in the casino, watching some games in the lounges, drinking and just enjoying a quiet but fun afternoon.  About 6:00 we went back to the cabin and changed for dinner.  Tonight was listed as a “formal night” although unlike cruising from the past, it is no longer mandatory.  I put on a suit and Jackie put on a nice dress and we went to dinner in one of the dining rooms again.  Only a handful of passengers were actually in anything even close to formal, which I consider to be at least a suit or sport coat.  We had a very nice dinner and after dinner we went to the theater to watch one of the production shows.  This one was called “Magic to Do” and was basically a musical magic show.  The singing, dancing and magic were very good, but the story was a little hard to keep track of because there was no dialogue, just the words to the various songs.  After the show we went to the casino for a while.  Jackie didn’t do to well, but I hit four deuces and won $250.  Yea, money in my “bank.”  After the casino we hit the bed.

Monday, June 19^th, we docked in San Francisco, right in the Embarcadero area between downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf.  We slept in again since we had no set plans or excursions scheduled.  We have been to San Francisco numerous times over the years and didn’t really have any expectations of doing any sightseeing.  We went ashore about 1:00 and walked to Fisherman’s Wharf where we had lunch at a place on the pier called Fog Harbor House.  We had a very nice seafood dinner and then walked around the wharf for a while.  After a couple of hours we caught a pedicab back to the ship and went back aboard.  On this cruise the ship stays docked in San Francisco overnight and doesn’t leave until 5 the next day.  We picked tonight to have dinner in one of the specialty restaurants, the Crown Grill Steakhouse.  I had a filet with a lobster tail and Jackie had lamb chops.  It was a good dinner, but not as good as the steakhouse on the Norwegian Joy.  After dinner we just wandered about, having some drinks and watching some of the entertainment around the ship.  We also visited the casino briefly without any good luck.  We went to the room about 11:00 or so and went to bed.

Tuesday, June 20^th, we were still in San Francisco when we got up after sleeping in again.  We had lunch in one of the dining rooms and met a very pleasant lady named Linda and her grandson Skyler.  We had a nice conversation with them and a very nice lunch.  In the afternoon we stayed on the ship and just chilled with the various activities around the ship.  I spent a little time in the hot tub.  The ship sailed at 5:00 and I went up on deck to take some pictures, particularly of us going under the Golden Gate Bridge.  After we sailed we changed for dinner and had dinner in one of the dining rooms.  After dinner we hit the casino, but didn’t stay long because they were very busy and we weren’t doing well anyway.  We went to the theater again tonight for a comedy show put on by Alfred and Seymor, two black comedians who put on a hilarious improv show that we really enjoyed.  We also went to one of the lounges for a singer named Erik Bryan who was very good as well.  After a fun night we hit the bed for the day. 

Wednesday, June 21^st, was another day at sea as we made our way back south, headed to San Diego tomorrow.  After sleeping in again we had lunch in the buffet, then spent the day just killing time around the ship.  We watched a couple of games, did a little gaming, and generally just relaxed.  Tonight was the second formal night and Jackie and I got dressed up again, although still in the minority.  We had a nice dinner in one of the dining rooms, then went out to enjoy the evening on the ship.  Tonight in the theater they had another production show, this one called “Disco, Blame it on the Boogie.”  Like the first show, it was all music and dancing without any real story line, but it was a lot of fun with great music.  After the show we went to some of the other entertainment, including a presentation by a guy who was a crew member for Fleetwood Mac for most of the years they were touring.  He gave a really interesting behind the scenes look at the group and the history of some of their songs.  After a fun evening we went to bed around 11:00 again.

Thursday, June 22^nd, we arrived in San Diego in the morning.  We got off the ship about noon and took a cab to Joe’s Crab Shack for lunch.  The reason we went there is that about a week before the cruise I was going through my wallet and found a gift card from the Landrys restaurant group for $50.  Unfortunately I don’t remember who gave us, or me, the card or when, or why, but it was still good.  The Landrys Group owns a couple of dozen restaurant chains and Joes Crab Shack is one of them.  We decided since we were going to San Diego we would go there for a nice lunch.  We did have a nice lunch which was half price because of the gift card.  Yea and thank you to whomever gave us the card.  After lunch we went back to the ship because, like San Francisco, we have been to San Diego dozens of times and had no need to sightsee or party.  We changed for dinner in the dining room, then relaxed with the activities around the ship until we went to the late production show, which they called a “Rock Opera” which again was a lot of singing and dancing.  Of the three shows it was by far the best.  After the show we went to some of the other venues, including another round of karaoke.  We were in bed by about 11:30 after a fun evening.

Friday, June 23^rd, the last full day of the cruise.  We had left San Diego last night around 10:00 and sailed south to Ensenada, Mexico, where we were now docked.  We left the ship about 1:00 and went out for lunch again.  We went downtown and ate at a nice place right across the street from the place we ate at a year ago when we took the four day cruise out of Los Angeles.  After lunch I stopped and bought a tee shirt and we went back to the ship.  Tonight we have to have our luggage packed and out of the cabin by 11:00, so we decided to just go back and pack before dinner.  After we were all packed we changed for dinner and ate in one of the dining rooms again.  After dinner we went to the casino and cashed out the “banks” on our medallions.  I still had most of the $250 I had won earlier in the cruise.  We went to another show in the theater, this one another show by Alfred and Seymour that was just as funny as the earlier one.  We then had a couple of cocktails, watched a game show and hit the bed about 10:00 since we had to be up early tomorrow.

Saturday, June 24^th, we got up at 6:30, showered and left our cabin by the 8:00 deadline.  We no sooner got to the lounge where we were assigned to wait to disembark when they called our group and we walked off the ship.  Customs was a piece of cake, we got our bags and went out and caught the shuttle back to the hotel.  We got the car out of parking and were on the road heading back to Pahrump at 9:09 a.m.  The drive back was much easier than last Friday coming here.  Traffic was mostly light.  We stopped in Baker for lunch and still pulled into our driveway at the RV park at exactly 3:00.  We got the bags in and unpacked, then just relaxed the rest of the night.  It was a wonderful cruise but we are glad to be back home again.

Sunday, June 25^th, today was a stay at home and do chores day.  We did a number of loads of laundry, cleaning up after the cruise.  I also spent some time putting stuff away in the storage shed, like dress clothes and luggage.  We went to the Sunday afternoon gathering and chatted with some of the few friends we have still in the park.  Everyday more and more members leave for summer travels out of the desert heat.  We did some steaks on the grill for dinner, watched some TV and went to bed.  Monday was a chores day.  We finished up the laundry from the cruise and did some chores around the house.  We went out in the afternoon to do some shopping.  After shopping we came home, put everything away and went to the happy hour gathering.  The group is getting progressively smaller as people go away for the summer.  We were only a half dozen today.  After happy hour we went home and Jackie made a meat loaf for dinner.  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.

Tuesday, June 27^th, we left the park about 11:00 and headed over the hill to Las Vegas.  Jackie had a doctor’s appointment and we needed to do a Costco run as well.  We hit Costco first, being careful not to buy anything that might go bad in the heat.  Mostly vodka and paper products.  We then stopped and had brunch at a café not too far from the doctors office.  After brunch we went to the ear doctor.  He looked in Jackie’s ear and didn’t see any marked differences.  The hole he made in the ear drum as a test last month had healed and Jackie had no seen any differences as a result of the hole.  The doctor then confirmed that putting in a tube was not indicated and that it was most likely a neurological issue, not something physical within the ear.  Jackie has to go back in a couple of months for another follow-up.  After the doctor we stopped at Kohl’s and shopped a little before heading over the hump.  We got back to the park about 5:00.  We just snacked for dinner, watched TV and went to bed.

Wednesday, June 28^th, was a stay at home day.  Jackie went to play Pokeno with her girlfriends at the clubhouse at 1:00.  I spent the two hours in the shed practicing on my guitar and the keyboard.  Since I got the very nice, and free, electric keyboard I have been working on basic piano chords as well as playing on my guitar.  Helps the mind to learn new things.  We did a couple of chores around the house and went to happy hour at 4:00.  Our friends Max and Nancy were there for the last time this summer.  They are leaving the park tomorrow and traveling for a couple of months.  Our happy hour crew is dwindling.  After happy hour we went home and we spent the rest of the evening watching TV.  Thursday I had an early awakening, about 6:00 when I heard voices outside our trailer talking about a water leak.  Turned out to be us.  The connection for the water hose on the side of the coach had failed and we had a big leak.  I was able to do a work around pretty quickly so we are not without water, but now I have to get the replacement part on warranty from the dealer we bought the trailer from.  The rest of the day was spent doing some little chores around the house.  We had happy hour and then spent the night with the TV.

Friday, June 30, the end of the first half of 2023.  We had a meeting of the Board of Directors at 1:00.  I am not on the Board anymore, but I am one of the crew that operates the Zoom system for members who are not physically in the park.  I went over early to get set up and then did the meeting.  The meeting went until almost 3:00.  We left the park shortly after the meeting to run some errands, including a Walmart run.  We didn’t get back in time for happy hour.  We had a pot roast for dinner that had been cooking all day in the crock pot.  Yum!  After dinner we watched TV and went to bed.  Saturday we had a relaxing day for the most part.  We decided that I would try karaoke at the Elks again to see if the rotation was shorter.  We went out for a late lunch at Mom’s Diner, then went home for a while.  Around 5:00 we went to the Elks and found that, if anything, the crowd was bigger than normal.  The first rotation took over two hours.  Jackie did have some good luck on the poker machine at the bar, winning $100.  I didn’t even wait around for a second song, we left the Elks about 7:30 and headed home.  We spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Sunday, July 2^nd, was another stay at home day.  We are in the middle of a heat wave, with daytime temps at about 113 degrees here in Pahrump.  Did a few chores and some office work, but that was about it.  We did go to root beer floats at 2:00 and visited with the group, but after we got home we just relaxed for the rest of the night.  Monday was also hot and another stay at home day.  A few little chores and that was the extent of the day.  We went to happy hour at 4:00, then came home and had Costco chicken for dinner.  Our friend Linda had called earlier to say she was at Costco and did we want a chicken.  After dinner we watched TV until bedtime.

We are now a month into this episode, so time to publish.  Until next time, enjoy life and stay happy.  See ya.